China Ancient Bricks and Tiles Museum

China Ancient Bricks and Tiles Museum

Kunshan is known as the hometown of ancient bricks and tiles in China, and Jinxi is the cradle of ancient bricks and tiles within Kunshan. As early as the Western Jin Dynasty, Jinxi had a long-standing tradition of brick-making and kiln firing.

In the early 1980s, the Kunshan Dadong Brick and Tile Factory established an ancient bricks and tiles exhibition hall, housing over 800 exhibits, which attracted the attention of experts and scholars from both China and abroad after its opening. In 1996, the site was relocated and expanded, with enriched exhibits and renamed the China Ancient Bricks and Tiles Museum — a museum themed around bricks and tiles.

Today, stepping into the new venue at Ding Residence, one can view more than 1,000 precious bricks and tiles brimming with artistic charm and historical value — as if flipping through the grand, five-thousand-year scroll of Chinese history.

From the “red fired earth” on the walls of “semi-subterranean” houses from the Neolithic Age, to the decorative bricks of Emperor Qin Shi Huang’s temporary palace “Wangyi Palace,” Han Dynasty city bricks, Six Dynasties roof tiles, Western Jin Dynasty inscribed bricks, Song Dynasty tenon-carved well bricks, to the blue bricks of the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom period, and the Republic of China era, even including red bricks marked with stars — all are represented here.

There are thin “roofing cap tiles” laid beneath regular tiles, palm-sized patterned window bricks, and “golden bricks” fired for a hundred days and soaked in tung oil. The collection showcases the full spectrum of Chinese bricks and tiles. Many of these pieces are also adorned with various decorative patterns, such as “two dragons competing for a pearl,” “phoenix piercing peony,” and “carp leaping through the dragon gate.” Some feature carvings of historical tales or auspicious phrases like “prosperity, wealth, and longevity” — each exhibit shining with wisdom and artistic brilliance.

In 2000, the museum was awarded the title of Patriotic Education Base of Kunshan City.

Address: Dingjia Lane, within the scenic area of Jinxi Ancient Town, Kunshan City, Suzhou

Type: Museum

Recommended visiting time: About 1 hour

Phone: 0512-57238096

Ticket information:

No separate ticket required. Included in the Jinxi Ancient Town joint ticket.